Hero: Episode 5

Fan girl moment: I have to say, I really dig those boots! Also, I think this hairstyle works really well for my boy! Come to think of it, I really like the whole casual/cool style Do Hyuk has going on here!

Ok, fan girl moment over (for now!)

Hero: Episode 5

After leaving DAESE Ilbo and unable to confront Hae Seong about his article, Do Hyuk does the only other thing he can do, head back to Yong Deok Ilbo for damage control. He is disappointed to discover that not only have his friends not cleaned up the mess in front of their office, but that they are all packing up their things and leaving the newspaper. The very same people who had been calling asking for their help are now calling saying horrible things about how a mobster shouldn’t run a newspaper. (People can be SO fickle! Seriously, this is why I like animals more than most people! Anyone else who works in the service industry can probably understand!) More than just the calls from the public, however, is also the fact that Yong Deok now knows they all lied to him about where they worked before, making it difficult for them to stay on. They also have no money for the second issue of the paper. No matter what he says, Do Hyuk cannot keep the reporters from leaving.

Meanwhile, Yong Deok is meeting with Manager Gong at Tesoro (Myung Hee’s coffee shop). When he first got out of prison, Yong Deok went into a restaurant where he was disappointed to find out they not only didn’t have what he wanted (Sanghwa tea) but it was also self service. At Tesoro, she doesn’t have his tea, but as she is serving him, she promises to have it for him next time.

Manager Gong reveals to Yong Deok that he is now doing what the reformed mobster used to do, “Being a dog for Choi Il Doo,” as Yong Deok describes it. Yong Deok wonders how Gong can trust Choi Il Doo, since he knows better than anyone why Yong Deok went to prison in the first place. As he leaves, he asks Gong if he remembers what happened on the night before he went to prison. Gong claims that was a long time ago and that he doesn’t remember.

Being the only one left at Yong Deok Ilbo, Do Hyuk does what he can to clean up the place. He sadly looks at a tattered and torn copy of the first issue, thinking about what good his paper could have done. He is being watched by Yong Deok, who is in turn, being watched by Manager Gong. Yong Deok leaves; and Do Hyuk (unaware he is being watched) comes out the front gate to clean up in front of the office. Manager Gong notes the young reporter’s determination, and, perhaps in an effort to stop him, orders a background check.

The three stooges detectives are waiting for the results of the search for Park Su Jeong’s child. While they are waiting, Detective Na starts to share his “dream” with his cohorts. Before he can finish, they find that there is nothing on paper to indicate that the nightclub owner ever had a child. Detective Cutie (erm…I mean Oh Jung Il) takes the file from the officer who brought him the report in order to look it over himself. (Not only is he cute, he’s competent!) They soon lose interest in the case as Detective Na continues to talk about his dream. His wish had been just to live a quiet life as a public servant, but now, he wants to be a “shutter man” or shopkeeper who helps out with his wife’s business. He’s thinking about getting married. (Does this seem a little fast to anyone else? I mean, didn’t he just meet Myung Hee?) He thinks all he has to do is get the woman’s daughter married off, and he’ll be all set!

Jae In walks in (after the conversation is over) and asks if they found out anything about the child. All they can report back to her is that there isn’t one listed in the family registry. Detective Na wonders why Jae In is still investigating when it looks like Do Hyuk’s paper is going to shut down. She explains that just because the newspaper is shutting down doesn’t mean they should stop investigating. Detective Na thinks that she has simply been taken by Do Hyuk’s charms after spending the night with him. She points out that the way he works is the reason he is still just a field detective and then orders the men to join her for a special forces training session. (My theory is that she just has some unexpressed rage towards her lying, cheating boyfriend to work out.) The training session is, essentially, Jae In using various forms of martial arts to beat the snot out of her team! (I love it! Jae In is like, the ultimate woman! She’s badass one minute, and sweet the next!)

Elsewhere, in a more civilized venue of an art gallery, Ho Kyung is telling Hae Seong about her dream for her idyllic life. When she gets married, she will take over her mother’s business (the art gallery) and Hae Seong will take over her father’s business, and she will be content to live like her parents and raise a beautiful daughter like herself. (Is it just me, or does Hae Seong look a bit like he’s seen a ghost?)

Jae In comes home to a mother more than willing to help her take care of the sore muscles she acquired as a result of her assault on her police force. Myung Hee correctly assumes that Jae In did this to herself because she is stressed about something (a cheating boyfriend, maybe?) but Jae In denies it. (Is she crazy? If I had a mom like Myung Hee, I’d tell her everything!) Just as the very perceptive mother asks about reporter Kang, Hae Seong calls and asks Jae In to meet him.

Jae In meets Hae Seong just outside of her front gate and he has the audacity to ask her why she didn’t call him when she came back into town. She simply tells him that she felt bad and wanted to apologize so she went to his office and saw him leaving with another woman. (Ha ha! Busted!) Hae Seong asks if they can go somewhere to talk and Jae In gets into the car with him. (WTF? Why?) Do Hyuk arrives just in time to see them drive off. (Is it just me, or does Do Hyuk look a little hurt?)

Do Hyuk heads home, and outside of his apartment building, he finds a random ahjussi sitting on the stoop. Only, it turns out to be Detective Na who is still suffering from the effects of his special training with Jae In. The two go to get something to eat, but Detective Na is doing more eating that drinking. When Do Hyuk asks why he is drinking so much, Detective Na cajoles Do Hyuk into admitting that he likes Jae In. Detective Na begs Do Hyuk to take her home and marry her so that he can live. (Ha! If only Detective Na knew that the two women he wants to see married off for two very different reasons are actually the same girl! Hmm…wonder how he’d feel having Do Hyuk as a son-in-law?)

Hae Seong takes Jae In to a pretty little outdoors place where they talk. Hae Seong explains that he did what he did because he “likes” Jae In. Jae In can’t understand why someone who has a girlfriend would be attracted to someone else. Hae Seong says that he understands if she doesn’t want to keep seeing him. Of course, she tells him she can’t continue to see him, because her only thought is that he is a “bad person.” (Dude, didn’t I tell you nice girls don’t like it when their boyfriend is seeing someone else?) Then Hae Seong lays it on thick, telling her, “I hope you, at least, believe that I never lied to you. I hope you, at least, know that my feelings for you are sincere.” He then goes on to promise that “when everything has been taken care of and all finished, I will tell you everything then.” I just really, really hope Jae In is not buying his bull!

I really like this shot. It almost feels that we’re eavesdropping on a conversation from behind

Do Hyuk comes home and gets chewed out by his sister for the way the newspaper was started. (Really? Who is Do Hee to chew anyone out?) After he brushes her off and goes to bed, we find out what Do Hee is really upset about. She was trying to get close to Yong Deok hoping he had some money, which of course he doesn’t.

A frustrated Do Hyuk tries unsuccessfully to sleep.

The next morning, Yong Deok and Sang Chul are sitting down to breakfast where we’re given some insight into their relationship. Yong Deok wonders why Sang Chul is still by his side after all these years, and the reason can be summed up in one word: loyalty. Even when he became a legend in the mafia, Yong Deok always showed loyalty to his underlings, and Sang Chul wants to return that. We see how powerful loyalty can be when Do Hyuk barges in. He apologizes to Yong Deok for lying about the reporter’s resumes, but explains how he couldn’t leave his friends jobless. This is a concept the President understands. He encourages Do Hyuk to continue to strive to be an excellent reporter like his father, and once he elicits Do Hyuk’s promise, Yong Deok promises to take care of things. He believes most of what happened was his fault and he wants to fix his mistakes, all Do Hyuk needs to do is bring the reporters back.

Good to his word, Yong Deok makes things right. He gathers all of the underlings he threatened/begged/cajoled into helping him, returns what he was given, tears up the contracts, and pays what he owed. Sang Chul does his best to keep Do Hyuk from seeing what else Yong Deok has to do, which is get on his knees and ask for forgiveness.

While waiting for Yong Deok to finish what he has to do, Do Hyuk gets a phone call from his reporter hyung, Man Soo. The call reunites the Yong Deok Ilbo team under very sad circumstances. The grandmother, who lost her dog, Mal Soon, passed away. Her children live overseas, and the only other contact in her cell phone was the kind reporter (Man Soo) who found her beloved dog. The reporters put together a lovely funeral for the woman, much to the appreciation of the woman’s son. After seeing what kind of impact they can make on someone’s life, the reporters decide to come back to work.

The team finally comes together to restore Yong Deok Ilbo to its former glory.

Reunited and recharged, the Yong Deok Ilbo team is ready to get back to work! They just have one small problem. Money. The printing contract was cancelled, and all the money they had was used to pay the deposit and rent on the office. They have the ideas, they’re working on the research, but how will they get their stories out to the public? The quiet and cool photographer, Go Eun Shil, has an idea. “Online!” Hence, http://www.yongdeokilbo.com/ is born!

The reporters shoot video stories for the website. Na Ga Yeon has a story about a man who was accused of sexual assault on the subway, though he didn’t do anything intentionally. Man Soo has a story about a hit and run that put a boy’s grandfather into a hospital they can’t afford. Even with these efforts, Do Hyuk still feels there is something missing. “Something that is unique to us,” as he puts it. Then a brilliant idea comes to him. What does Yong Deok Ilbo have that no one else does? An ex-mob boss. He enlists the help of his sister and the kids (paying Do Hee a ridiculous fee) to shoot a self-defense video with Yong Deok as the instructor, and Do Hyuk as the antagonist.

After getting Yong Deok Ilbo Online up and running, Do Hyuk heads over to the police station to see what they’ve found out about the missing Park Su Jeong. The detectives were able to get access to the nightclub owner’s cell phone records and find that just before the scene captured by the CCTV (where she was being forced into the mysterious car) she received a call from an illegal pirated phone (or a “dump” phone as they would call it on CSI). This gives them enough evidence to suggest that she was abducted. The next step is to get a warrant to search her apartment. Do Hyuk is not happy to hear that they have to wait on procedures. He had been telling them this whole time that Park Su Jeong had been abducted, and no one would listen. He asks if they found out anything about the mystery child. Jae In explains that there was no record of Park Su Jeong ever giving birth. Do Hyuk counters back with a very good point, “If you can’t find it listed, does that mean it isn’t true? Didn’t you hear the baby was fathered by a married man and that he wanted to abort the child? If he did father the child and she still had the child, doesn’t that elevate the suspicion and risk? You just believed the documents and didn’t do anything?” An enflamed Do Hyuk goes on to accuse Jae In of caring more about dating than doing her job. He storms out, and when she asks where he’s going, he responds, “Follow me if you’re curious.” And she does, leading to a power swap in the relationship. (Up to this point, Jae In had most of the power.) This leads the other detectives to muse if the two of them are dating.

The Dynamic Duo ends up in front of the security gate outside of President Park’s apartment complex. Jae In warns Do Hyuk that if he goes in before they get the search warrant, then it’s breaking and entering. He counters that since they know it’s a kidnapping, they’re sure to get the warrant anyway, so they should just go on in. Do Hyuk can’t help but take advantage of the power shift in his favor.

Do Hyuk: We’re just taking advantage of the fact that we know it will be issued and are doing it first.
Jae In: You are so irritating. You’d better not say that to me ever again!
Do Hyuk: And if I do? What will you do? There’s nothing you can do about it but sure talk like you can….

Which is when Jae In punches him in the stomach, shifting the balance of power back in her favor. They do decide to search the apartment, but they do so using Jae In’s plan.

Her plan is for her to distract the security guard while Do Hyuk sneaks in, and then cajole the guard to let her into the complex while Do Hyuk shimmies up the drain pipe, climbs in through the back window, and opens the door for her. (How much sense does it make for the wimpy reporter to be doing the climbing while the tough police officer waits?)

After what feels like an eternity to Jae In, Do Hyuk finally opens up the door for her. “I should have done the climbing,” she complains (uh, you think?). “I didn’t fail in my mission,” Do Hyuk protests. “But you took so long!” Jae In gripes. After the squabbling is over, they get down to business. Jae In observes that the apartment is too clean, that the kidnappers deliberately left no trace and they were thorough, but not that thorough. Do Hyuk spies a frame on an end table which contains a picture of his missing friend. He takes the photo out of the frame and unfolds it, revealing the illusive child.

Elsewhere, on a golf course, feeling quite satisfied with their success at destroying Yong Deok Ilbo, Choi Il Doo and Manager Gong are enjoying a game. Manager Gong assures Choi Il Doo that he “can forget all about Jo Yong Deok. He also assures him that he can think of President Park and her child as people “that no longer exist.” (Oh…aren’t you just the creepy mob guy…Just you wait!)

Speaking of creepy, in a scene that reminds me of something out of “Hon,” we see what Manager Gong has done with Park Su Jeong.

Back at the police station and now on better terms, Do Hyuk decides to ask Jae In about Hae Seong. She admits that she won’t be seeing him anymore because that girl is his girlfriend.

In the squad room, Detectives Oh Jung Il and Jang Heung Ki marvel at how much better Do Hyuk seems to be at investigating than the actual police. Jae In doesn’t seem to notice their comments, as she just orders them to search everywhere, using President Park’s house as the center. Only then does she notice that Detective Na is nowhere to be found.

And just where is Detective Na Kyung Man? Why, he’s at Tesoro, indulging in his new favorite past time, flirting with Myung Hee! This cute couple has gotten a little past the flirting stage, as they now reveal more personal information about themselves. Myung Hee finds out that Detective Na is a police officer, and she reveals to him that her late husband was a police officer, and that her daughter is a police officer. He then tells her that he has actually been thinking about leaving the force. Their conversation is cut short when Jae In arrives. Detective Na manages to sneak out before his lieutenant sees him.

Late into the night, the Yong Deok Ilbo reporters are hard at work. Do Hyuk is trying to write an article about what the police discovered in their search for Park Su Jeong, but all he can think about is how Jae In said she won’t be seeing Hae Seong anymore. This is when Sang Chul comes down from the apartment I assume he and Yong Deok share. He is surprised to see the reporters still working and they are just as surprised to see him up this late at night. He reveals that tomorrow is Yong Deok’s birthday, and since he hasn’t celebrated it in 15 years, Sang Chul wants to make him seaweed soup complete with Hanu (Korean prime beef). This interruption seems to be what Do Hyuk needed to get his mind back on track. He gives Jin Sung (their resident internet guru) instructions to upload the photograph of the child, as well as the video of President Park being kidnapped (from the CCTV.)

The next day, www.yongdeokilbo.com is in full swing, and several interested parties are reading it. At the police station, while Jae In is trying to read the articles, Detective Na is in full-on “sucking up to the daughter of the woman he likes” mode and brings her tea. This leads to confusion on her part, and strange looks from the other officers.

Meanwhile, Choi Il Doo has also seen the internet publication, and discovers that the people who are supposed “to no longer exist,” do indeed, exist.

A lot happens in the next few scenes. After receiving an angry phone call from Choi Il Doo, Manager Gong berates his subordinate for not doing a good job cleaning up after himself. The subordinate managed to do one thing right, though, and gives Gong the background information on Do Hyuk. Without looking at the information, Gong calls Hae Seong, who was supposed to have used his influence with Jae In to stop the police investigation. Hae Seong, who may be a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them, is already on top of things, using instead, his influence at the prosecutor’s office to stop the investigation. When Jae In gets the call that the prosecutor has put on the breaks, she angrily leaves the squad room to go speak to the prosecutor herself.

Things are much happier at the Yong Deok Ilbo office where they are celebrating the president’s birthday. Do Hyuk promises that they will take care of his birthdays from now on.

This is a Kdrama, so when things are going really well for our hero, we can inevitably expect them to soon go horribly wrong. Manager Gong finally takes a look at the background information on Do Hyuk, including his family registry, and recognizes the names of his parents. Gong then remembers a night 15 years ago when he was instructed to carry out a job if Yong Deok could not complete it. He was promised Yong Deok’s place as payment. The job: Kill DAESE Reporter Jin Yeon (Do Hyuk’s father.)

Do Hyuk enters Yong Deok’s office quite happy and pleased to be able to give the older man a birthday present. It has been 15 years since he’s been able to do that, and he tells Yong Deok that if his father were still alive, he’d be the same age as Yong Deok. This is the opening the President has apparently been waiting for, as he is now ready to tell Do Hyuk how his parents really died. Before Yong Deok can say anything, however, Do Hyuk gets a phone call. It’s Manager Gong, calling to tell him his parents were murdered.

Comments:

Well, first of all, can I just say, “I CALLED IT!!!” I knew Yong Deok didn’t kill Do Hyuk’s parents! Now, I’m still not sure if this is the crime he went to jail for or not, but I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough! (Those of you who don’t rely on subtitles and have already seen this, don’t tell me, ‘k?) Despite the fact that he’s not the one who actually committed the crime, I have a feeling that Yong Deok still feels responsible and that’s why he keeps telling Do Hyuk to become a great reporter like his father.

The real killer, revealed!

While we’re on the subject of fathers, is it just me, or is anyone else getting a father/son vibe from Yong Deok and Do Hyuk? Considering the one has a daughter he can’t see and the other lost his father at a young age, it makes sense that they would rely on each other. It also makes me wonder how this relationship will be affected after Do Hyuk meets with Manager Gong (who will most likely accuse Yong Deok of the murder, which Yong Deok may not deny.)

I have a feeling this is where the show is about to take a darker turn. I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing. As much as I’m enjoying the lighter, comic portions of this, it will be interesting to see how the cast handles a more dramatic storyline. I’m also a fan of dark comedies, so this show continues to be right up my alley. I’m really curious to see how the relationships continue to develop as more and more mysteries begin to be revealed.

February 17, 2010 at 11:33 AM

UNREGISTERED

@andromytta,

LOL!!

Actually no. It's the character (not the actress) that I don't like that much (I mean, I am glad she is a good person, but just because a person is a good person doesn't meant that I have to love the person, right?). I'll wait until a few more episodes (and recaps) before writing an in-depth response.

February 17, 2010 at 11:49 AM

This is a matter of personal preference, but I like the fact that I can read the English dialogue and I can get back to the Korean original dialogue even if I've not yet seen the episode. I know that it can be a tiny bit choppy because it can sound a little bit fobby, but if you listen to the words without necessarily filtering it through Western eyes / ears, I think you can get more out of the dialogue.

Like in this Ep 5: "And if I do? What will you do? There’s nothing you can do about it but sure talk like you can…."

Or in Ep 4: "we investigate and it turns out to be nothing, if it was all about your overreacting…You’re dead."

February 18, 2010 at 10:03 AM

UNREGISTERED

Yeah, personally speaking, I feel for the most part that fan-subbers are actually superior than so-called "professional" subbers. (See above comment about MBC America *lol*) Since I don't speak Korean (other than the half a dozen or so words I've picked up from dramas) I feel like the fan-subbers give me a more rounded drama experience, explaining certain terms instead of ignoring them all together or "Americanizing" them. I mean, if I wanted to watch American TV, I would! *lol*

I actually watched something where "oppa" was translated as "sweetie" which kinda looses some of the meaning behind "oppa", but at least that was better than translating it as the character's name, which tends to happen a lot!

God Bless fan subbers! Everyone should go visit HaruHaru and WithS2 or their own favorite fan subbing site and show them some love!